There is buzz this week about a recently unveiled airplane design. This new concept — let me be clear, no such planes are in production — has no windows in the airplane's fuselage, including the passengers cabin.
It sounds claustrophobic, right? Don't worry. The entire wall of the aircraft will become virtual windows, possibly displaying the view outside in large panels that wrap the plane's interior. There's you, buckled into your seat, and there's the clouds outside, right beside you displayed on the wall. OK, you can worry if you like (claustrophobic or not).
The idea comes from UK-based technology firm the Centre for Process Innovation. It's flashy introductory video explains that such walls, beyond offering entertainment, would be thinner than those now used. In the company's rosy view, that situation would lead to wider seats for passengers and reduced fuel consumption, which would naturally lower carbon dioxide emissions.
"Every year, 3.1 billion people fly around the world … using 220,000 gallons of fuel and producing over 705 million tons of CO2," the video intones. The company expects such a plane could fly in about a decade.